The project will create an ideal environment for salmon to rest, rear, and hide from predators, increasing their survivability. | Stock Photo
The project will create an ideal environment for salmon to rest, rear, and hide from predators, increasing their survivability. | Stock Photo
King County and partners have begun work on a major Cedar River restoration project to mitigate flood risks, improve habitats for Chinook salmon and provide sustenance to southern resident orcas, according to a King County news release.
The Riverbend Restoration Project will focus on restoring a 52-acre area along a mile-long portion of the river in South King County by a creating slow-water, shallow habitat that is ideal for native Chinook salmon. The project will follow progress that partners have already made to protect people, homes, and infrastructure from flood risks along the river that flows from the Cascades to the southern tip of Lake Washington.
“We are steadily restoring the Cedar River toward its natural state, reducing flood risks, improving salmon habitat, and providing a more reliable food source for Puget Sound orca,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “Our successful restoration projects upstream provide a model for a unified effort, guided by science to achieve multiple benefits for all living things that call King County home.”
The project will create an ideal environment for salmon to rest, rear, and hide from predators, increasing their survivability on their long journey to the Pacific Ocean and their return upstream to spawn. Increasing the number of healthy salmon that reach their ideal weight before they reach Puget Sound will also provide more sustenance to southern resident orcas.
Alerts Sign-up